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Making The Odyssey was an unforgettable experience for John Leguizamo.
The actor recalled filming the upcoming Christopher Nolan epic in a chat with PEOPLE pegged to season 2 of his MSNBC travel documentary series Leguizamo Does America.
And while he can’t give away much about the character he plays, Leguizamo reveals he shot in Morocco and Sicily, Italy — and whom he “worked mostly with” in the star-studded cast.
“It’s a dream team,” says Leguizamo, 64, of his primary costars in The Odyssey: Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland.
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Universal Pictures
The Bob Trevino Likes It star also raves about working closely with Nolan, 54, telling PEOPLE that while the Oscar-winning director is “protective” of the movie’s details, he is “understandably” so.
“It was like being with a visionary — like what I imagine it must have been like to work with Stanley Kubrick,” Leguizamo says. “Somebody creating worlds, and who thinks in a different way than the rest of us.”
Praising the “amazing” script, he continues, “We were in amazing locations. It’s seven countries. They’re in Morocco, Greece, Sicily, back to L.A., and [Nolan is] bringing work back to L.A. and to America, which is incredible.”
“A huge American cast. It’s diverse — oh my God, I just love this project,” Leguizamo adds.
Nolan’s adaptation will feature a starry cast as they take on Homer’s ancient Greek poem, including Damon, 54, as Odysseus, plus Leguizamo, Holland, 29, Pattinson, 39, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron, among others.
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Holland shared on Good Morning America in October 2024 that he was “incredibly excited” and “obviously honored” when Nolan called him with the casting news — despite not knowing any details about the project.
“When the opportunity came in, it was the phone call of a lifetime,” the actor said. “It was reminiscent of getting the call about Spider-Man 10 years ago. It’s an amazing thing for me. I’m super proud and I’m really, really excited.”
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The Odyssey is in theaters July 17, 2026.
Leguizamo Does America season 2 premieres Sunday, July 6, at 9 p.m. ET on MSNBC, with new episodes airing weekly through August.
